TIRANA – On 11 June, the US State Department confirmed the lifting of the “non grata” designation on the leader of the Democratic Party of Albania, Sali Berisha. In a response to an inquiry from Euronews Albania, the Press Office of the Department of State noted that “waivers have been granted for individuals affected by the measures”.
“The Department of State has issued waivers for certain 7031(c) designations imposed during the previous administration because granting such waivers serves a compelling national interest,” the response to Euronews Albania said.
Sali Berisha told journalists earlier on Thursday that the United States had formally notified him of the lifting of the sanction widely known as ‘non grata’, five years after it was announced by former President Joe Biden’s administration on the grounds of involvement in “significant corruption”, it was reported by Reporter.al.
In May 2021, a few months after the parliamentary election, then Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the former Albanian President and Prime Minister Sali Berisha had been declared “persona non grata”, claiming that his “corrupt acts undermined democratic processes in Albania”. For these reasons, Berisha and his immediate family were barred from entering the United States.
Berisha attacked the decision as a lobbyist and claimed to have filed a lawsuit against Blinken in a court in France.
